An 11-year-old girl was left with chemical burns so severe that she struggles to walk after a 12-year-old girl allegedly doused her with an unidentified acid at a Detroit, Michigan, playground, the victim told local news outlets.
The 12-year-old, who has not been named publicly, has been charged with one count of assault with intent to do great bodily harm and one count of felonious assault, Wayne County Prosecutor's Office confirmed to Newsweek via email on Sunday night. She appeared in court for a preliminary hearing on Saturday where she was given a $10,000 bond and ordered to have no contact with the victim or any of the other witnesses, according to a press release sent to Newsweek from the prosecutor's office.
"This is an extremely troubling set of allegations," Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in the statement. "Instant horrible decision-making can have lifelong effects on others. There is no excuse for this."
The victim, 11-year-old Deaira Summers, said to local media outlets that she was at the Vernor Elementary School playground on July 9 with her siblings and cousin when the cousin got into an argument with a 12-year-old girl. Summers said that she was not involved in the fight that led to the 12-year-old allegedly tossing a substance on her, which caused second and third-degree burns on her back, legs, and arms.
"I feel like there should be consequences because I didn't do nothing to that girl," Summers said.
Newsweek reached out via GoFundMe on Sunday to the victim's family.
The victim's family said they blame the 12-year-old's mother for giving the girl the substance used in the attack. Summers said to WDIV that she saw the 12-year-old's mother met her daughter near the park to give the girl "a bottle filled with liquid," which Summers' family believes to be some sort of acid.
Summers and her mother recently spoke to Fox 2 and WSAZ about the incident and the girl's recovery.
Dominique Summers, the victim's mom, said hospital staff who treated her daughter were unable to identify the substance that caused the 11-year-old's severe chemical burns. The prosecutor's office referred to the substance as acid in the news release sent to Newsweek on Sunday night, saying "Prosecutor Kym Worthy has charged a 12-year-old girl in connection with assaulting an 11-year-old girl with acid."
Dominique Summers told told Fox 2 that the 12-year-old's mother said to the kids after the alleged attack "that's what they get" for messing with her daughter.
The 11-year-old told local media outlets that she felt "instant pain." She said she ripped off her shirt as she ran home, saying the unidentified acid burned through her clothing.
"Two seconds later, it started like burning and went through my shirt, my shorts," Summers told WSAZ on July 14. "I was screaming, and I was crying."
While the 11-year-old is out of the hospital and recovering at home, she said that her injuries still "hurt a lot." The burns have also led to difficulties walking, Summers said.
Her mom said the unidentified acid caused smoke to come off her daughter's body "from head to toe."
"Holes were coming in her clothes," she said. "From there, Deaira was rushed to a hospital with severe burns. After the check-up, she learned she had second and third-degree burns running down her back."
Debra Golston, who identified herself as Summers' grandmother on a GoFundMe page that's raising money for the girl's medical expenses, said the girl is recovering from the "heinous act." Golston, who said her granddaughter was an "innocent bystander," alleged that the 12-year-old suspect's mother brought the acid for her daughter to "retaliate" after the fight with Summers' cousin.
In the aftermath of the altercation, Summers' grandmother said the girl dropped her purse in her effort to flee.
"She returned for her purse and was then doused with acid by the older teenager," Golston said. "Dearia has second and third degree burns from her back downward and spent four days in the burn unit at Children's Hospital. She is lucky to be alive but will need ongoing care to fully heal from all the wounds she incurred."
In the plea for donations, Golston said in addition to the medical expenses, Summers' family may face moving costs as they consider relocating since the suspect is able to post bond and her mother has not been arrested.
The 12-year-old's next court appearance is July 18, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
Update, 7/17/23, 6:45 a.m. ET: The headline on this article was updated.
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